We’ve been talking a lot about starting or growing profitable wedding cake business lately and I think it is time to share my biggest secret how to become an expert in your industry:
Specialize! Choose just one style or one type of cake design and master your skills.
I know, you might think, but Anna, I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. I hear you… And here are my five reasons why specialization is the key to creativity and profitability:
1. Choose one cake style.
Imagine a child who wants to be good at every sport and play in every game – basketball, swimming, dancing, football, gymnastics, and more? How many of those activities he/she could be the best one? Probably, none… You can’t become an expert in your niche until you devote a lot of hours to practicing this specific thing.
2. Become known for that style.
Customers prefer to order from an expert. If you choose just one niche you become a go-to person for this type of cake for your customers. And you will save a lot of time on marketing your business because you can be clear about exactly what products you serve. That helps potential customers to make the decision more easily. Just as a client with Celiac disease will likely prefer a gluten-free bakery to a general bakery with a small gluten-free inventory.
3. Specialists make more money.
It is just true. Look to any industry and you’ll see that experts — those who specialize in a narrow niche — are paid more. Pediatric neurosurgeons make more than general surgeons, just as a pastry chef makes more than a cook.
4. Specialists are more efficient.
Yep) Financially-efficient and time-efficient too. When you decide to invest time in learning and mastering one type of cake, you will need to manage much smaller inventory and set-up will take less time. And you will benefit from repetition, simply because you begin to see the same problems or situations more frequently, so you can fix any issues quicker.
5. Be a trailblazer.
When you are specializing in one type of offer, it is much easier to keep up with the trends and can learn new skills quickly and easily as new information is shared. You can stay current on designs, trends, and techniques, so you will always have something new to offer your clients.
Specialization creates expertise, which makes it easier to market a business and attract the right customers, who are often more willing to pay a premium for that specialization.
Why am I telling you this? I choose to work with wafer paper and restrict myself to only designs that can include wafer paper.
And, a few weeks ago, I got stuck. I’ve started resenting wafer paper and thought that nothing interesting could be done… Until this design almost manifested itself. Now, this is one of my favorite designs!
Sometimes we don’t see what’s ahead of us, but I can tell you for sure – choosing one style and developing your skills is the best decision for your business.
